Seattle, WA

Fences is the nom de plume of Chris Mansfield, a Berklee graduate with a penchant for casual pop songs and downcast lyrics. Taking his stage name from an August Wilson play, Mansfield moved to the Pacific Northwest after college and began making a name for himself in Seattle. His bittersweet music eventually caught the ear of Sara Quin, one half of the Canadian duo Tegan and Sara, and Mansfield soon found himself at Quins studio in Vancouver, where he spent ten days recording his full-length debut, Fences. In 2014, Mansfield delivered Fences' sophomore album, Lesser Oceans, which included the single "Arrows," featuring Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. ~ Andrew Leahey